A Florence appeals court has begun deliberations in the murder trial of US
student Amanda Knox in the absence of the star defendant

Amanda Knox will have her “heart in her mouth” when a court in Italy decides whether to clear her of involvement in the murder of Meredith Kercher or uphold a guilty conviction she received five years ago.

The American student is awaiting the verdict in the latest round of a complex, seven-year legal process at her home in Seattle.

Amanda Knox photographed yesterday in Seattle (SPLASH NEWS)

In an interview on Skype with Italian television, she said: “I will be waiting to receive a phone call from my lawyers and my heart will be in my mouth.

“But the proof is in the facts – it’s clear that there’s no evidence that I was there when (the murder) happened.

“If I am convicted, I understand I will be a fugitive, but I will continue fighting until the end.”

Her lawyers in Florence said they are confident the American will be cleared of guilt in the murder of Miss Kercher, a Leeds University student who was studying in Perugia in Umbria when she was killed in 2007.

Carlo Dalla Vedova, one of the Italian lawyers representing the woman nicknamed “Foxy Knoxy”, said he felt "serene" about the verdict, which is expected to be handed down later today.

He said the only possible outcome from the jury’s discussions must be "the innocence of Amanda Knox."

Miss Knox, 26, has not attended any of the hearings in the re-trial, which started in September.

Mr Sollecito, on the other hand, has made frequent court appearances, always in a purple sweater, the color of the local Florentine football club. He was in court again today, accompanied by his father and other relatives.

She was “tense” and seeking comfort from her family, Luciano Ghirga, another of her lawyers in Italy, told Ansa news agency. "She's aware of the delicacy of the moment," he said.

Miss Knox and her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were found guilty in 2009 of murdering and sexually assaulting Miss Kercher, 21, from Coulsdon in Surrey.

They were sentenced to 26 years and 25 years respectively, but their convictions were dramatically overturned on appeal in 2011.

Those acquittals were in turn called into question by the Supreme Court in Rome last March, which ordered the case to be reheard by the appeals court in Florence.

Miss Knox’s absence from the court room was a sign of her guilt, according to Patrick Lumumba, the Perugia bar owner whom she falsely accused of being the killer.

He spent two weeks in jail before a Swiss academic read about the case by chance and came forward with a solid alibi, telling police that he had spent the evening chatting to Mr Lumumba in his pub on the night of the murder.

“Amanda is afraid. She’s running away from the Italian justice system,” the 44-year-old told The Telegraph in the court room.

“If she had been here, I would have asked her first of all for an apology for landing me in prison. I was placed in solitary confinement for three days and it was very hard. She’s never apologised to me for any of that. Secondly, I’d ask her for financial compensation for what I went through.”

Mr Sollecito, 29, an IT graduate, was in court with his father. He left when the jury was sent out but said he would return to hear the verdict.

Meredith Kercher

Members of Miss Kercher’s family are also expected to be in court for the verdict – her brother Lyle and her sister Stephanie.

A lawyer for the Kercher family said the jury should uphold the original guilty convictions against Miss Knox and her former lover.

“The court has all the elements it needs to make a decision. The elements remain the same ones that brought us to a guilty verdict at the first trial,” said Francesco Maresca.

Stephanie Kercher said her family was not looking for “revenge” against Miss Knox, but simply wanted to discover the truth and bring a seemingly interminable legal process to an end.

“We want the trial to finish today so that we can concentrate on our pain and sadness and honour the memory of Meredith,” she told Corriere della Sera newspaper. “We’ve had to rely on the Italian judicial system, which for us is so different that it is almost incomprehensible.”

Prosecutors have asked for Miss Knox to be given a 30-year jail sentence – four more years than her original sentence.

The prosecution in Florence has asked for a 26-year prison term for Mr Sollecito.

Should their original guilty sentences be upheld, prosecutors have called for the judge to put in place “precautionary measures”, which in the case of Mr Sollecito could include house arrest or the confiscation of his passport.

But even if their original guilty verdicts are upheld, they would still need to be confirmed by Italy's supreme court to be final, a process that can take months.

The Italian authorities would then be expected to apply for Miss Knox’s extradition from the US.

Lawyers for Miss Knox and her former lover maintain that the murder was committed by one person alone – Rudy Guede, a local drifter and small-time drug dealer who is serving a 16-year jail term after being found guilty in a separate trial.

Guede, who fled Italy after the murder and was then extradited from Germany, has admitted that he was in Miss Kercher’s room that night but denies that he killed her.

Prosecutors insist that the murder was committed by more than one killer and that Miss Knox and Mr Sollecito took part in the killing along with Guede.